Breath on the Water
by nanimo
Summary: Two's company, three's a crowd.


"_A change is coming I can sense it now  
The weight is lifting and I'm sinking down  
Birds are flying in the trees below  
The tears are coming, I just let it go"_

_ATB -- Made of Glass_

**Breath on the Water : Chapter One**

Being a hero did not pay well, Tifa was learning. Maybe that was why she was sitting, staring out her upstairs window into a starry sky that reminded her far too much of so many other lonely nights. And one other night in particular, when Cloud had told her he was leaving to join the ranks of ShinRa. Today hadn't been so different, really. Oh, she had seen it coming. She had been expecting it. But it was so easy to fall into that peaceful lull, pretend they were all a happy family – Cloud, Marlene, Denzel and herself. It wasn't as if it was all a charade, they _were_ happy, when they were all together. But there was always that small, underlying current; an occasional longing glint in Cloud's eyes that Tifa chose to ignore. The glint in her own eye, which she brushed away with a false smile. It was hard to be an unneeded hero, to go from that exhilarating sense of danger and adventure to getting a job and trying to decide what dinner should be each night. (Although that wasn't always an easy task.)

And so it was a slightly overcast Wednesday when Cloud packed all his bags, and told Tifa that he was going. Something about fighting feral monsters in some outlying villages; later Tifa couldn't recall exactly what he had said, there had been too many things racing through her head. There wasn't a fight. No slammed doors, no rattling tables or raised voices, no finger pointing. Just a long conversation, and a heavy but thoughtful pause. Tifa took a loud sip of her coffee.

"I just… I miss her."

"So do I Cloud; we all love her."

"And I'll miss you. But right now… I'm missing a part of myself. I want to fix myself, you know?"

"I know, Cloud. I know."

They exchanged contact information, and said their goodbyes. They hugged like brother and sister. And then he rode off, looking ever the lovable hero as he sped away on his motorcycle, only his spiky hair visible above his bags strapped to the back of the vehicle.

Tifa, in a daze, slowly made her way inside. She would need to start dinner soon.

&&&

Tifa couldn't figure out why the weather got off on being so uncooperative. It was a bit chilly out, sure, but hardly a cloud in the sky or drop of water in the air. Her ex-kind-of-childhood-sweetheart-but-not-really-slash-housemate-slash-(now ex)business-partner, Cloud, had just left to Holy-knows-where, and here Tifa was walking to the market in tolerable weather, a far cry from the torrential downpour every moping heroine deserves. Tifa was realizing her life was never going to be the fairy tale she imagined it to be. At one point she had had her blond knight in shining armor, still had close friends and money from the sale of her and Cloud's small delivery business, but she was missing something. _No Tifa_, she told herself resolutely, _don't say it. You're strong, right?_ Yes, she didn't need a knight to come sweep her off her feet. In fact, love had only gotten in the way of things, made things difficult. The only love she would be giving out now was platonic. No more fantasies for Tifa, she had been following a one-way street, but an intersection was coming up fast. Things were going to change.

Internally striking a heroic pose, Tifa forgot all about the supermarket she was in, the quarter-filled plastic shopping basket in the crook of her arm, and most importantly the plum she was slowly squeezing in her right hand. She looked down at the mauled fruit and the dark juice running past her wrist, leaving a sticky trail of purple ooze. Apparently this one was a bit rotten. The young woman quickly composed herself, disposed of the crushed fruit and wiped her hand mostly clean on the side of her jeans. She picked through the other plums, only to find that most of them seemed passed their prime. To her right she noticed a tall man whom she assumed to be one of the owner's sons that would sometimes re-organize and stock the shelves. Hesitating only briefly – he _was_ rather tall, but the man seemed familiar in some way, so Tifa assumed she had seen him around before – Tifa reached out and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Excuse me, sir—"

The young man turned around, his brown eyes slightly rounded in question, a jar of jam still in his right hand.

"Can I help you, ma'am?"

"Er, yes… I don't mean to bother you, but it seems like most of your plums have gone bad." Tifa didn't want to sound like a snob, she was only trying to be helpful. The man looked over at the display before walking over to examine the suspect fruit for himself.

"Hmm, it looks like you were right… I'll have to talk to Mr Chiba about it." He paused, looking at Tifa's bag, "I'll tell you what, how about you take your groceries home on the house today? For your trouble." He smiled.

Tifa wasn't so sure, and it must have shown on her face.

"You're a regular around here, right? I'm sure Mr Chiba would say the same." He was right, and besides, Tifa wasn't one to turn down a great offer – her basket wasn't exactly empty. She thanked him, and left the store smiling.

&&&

The groceries had been put away, and Tifa sat at the kitchen counter as she waited for her pot of water to boil. A package of pasta and jar of marinara sauce sat in front of her, patiently waiting as Tifa contemplated life. The kids only came over to stay with them – _me_, she corrected herself – on the weekends, so weekday meals were never a special affair. And now, well, at least she didn't have to worry about whether or not Cloud would like what she made. And she could start making spicier meals again. But she wasn't so sure one or to spicier dishes could replace Cloud. Maybe she would get a dog. Or a cat. She had always been more of a cat person.

It was then that phone rang.

**End Chapter One**


End file.
